I have a few trips planned this year and want to be more dedicated in taking pictures. I need something easy to handle, light, quick to pick up and shoot with good picture quality and battery life. What is best at the various price points? I was thinking of a PanasonicDMCTZ70 or a SonyRX100 mark IV if I can get one cheap enough

Does it have to have a viewfinder? The Olympus "Tough" cameras can take a lot more abuse than the Panny or Sony. If you are looking to get into photography and like using manual controls like an old-fashioned rangefinder or SLR rather than delving into endless menus like all digital compacts, the Fuji X cameras take excellent stills and are a pleasure to use once you get the hang of them.

A view finder is not necessary but may be useful for other applications. Really I want to point and shoot and move on. What I don't want is to have to read menus in the sun with the wrong glasses on! I would like to take and save more photos generally and would prefer not to have to buy two cameras.

Panasonic LF1 , 7x zoom, viewfinder for bright days, smaller and lighter than anything else, great bokeh with an f2.0 lens, shoots RAW. No lenscap or sticking out lenses, no additional lenses to carry. An absolutely brilliant street camera. Cameras with 30x zoom with small lenses are a mass of compromises.

I bought an Olympus Stylus 1 last year. It is the spiritual successor to the C730UZ with the same 10x optical zoom range. I like the camera, it is reasonably small and light, can be used single handed and works a lot faster than the C570UZ that it replaced. The picture quality is good, much better than the C570UZ and the lens is fast, f2.8 over the whole zoom range. There is a good selection of standard modes plus the ability to use manual focus in some of the modes. The main bugbear for me is that you can only charge the battery using a mains charger. Having said that I find battery life to be excellent.

I suggest you spend some time reading up about long zoom cameras. The optics in a 30x zoom are a much bigger set of compromises than say one with a 10x zoom range. More pixels (to allow cropping afterwards) and smaller optical zoom are likely to give you better results if you are prepared to post process pictures.

I have the RX100 mark 1 and it's a superb little beast. Fits in a trouser pocket. The mark 1 is still available for £250ish, which is a steal: for me, the mark 4's advantages aren't compelling enough to upgrade. I just wish I had the time to tour more and take more photos with it, but ain't that always the way...

The camera market is changing so quickly at the moment that it's very hard for anyone other than a real enthusiast to keep up.

After agonising between it and the Sony RX I went for the Panasonic LX-100 which I've been very happy with - but how it compares with the current Sony I don't know (I must admit I have missed not having the electronic neutral density filters for long exposures in bright sunlight).

Things you might want to consider:

- manual exposure controls?- support for shooting in RAW?- interchangeable lenses? There are some lovely interchangeable lens cameras ought there. I've always settled for an all in one camera because I have a pouch that goes on my backpack and an interchangeable lens camera won't fit in it, but there are times when I miss not having a telephoto for details- viewfinder?

if you get a toughened camera it'll take being dropped and doused but the sensor will be small, the zoom range will be small and the image quality no more than OK.if you get a big-zoom compact it will not take to water or rough handling happily but the image quality *might* be better.

I missed a lot of shots by having an ordinary compact in a plastic bag that was a lot of faff; and I missed a lot of shots by not having it in a plastic bag - 3 days' worth while it dried out.

Nowadays I carry a somewhat elderly Panasonic FT3. It fits into the first category above.

Moral: if you can afford the expense and the weight, get two cameras, a toughened one such as that Olympus and a "good" one. Keep the good one in its own bag in a pannier and the waterproof one handy in an HB bag or pocket. I have an original Sony RX100 which is excellent, but I rather covet my wife's Sony HX90v, whose image quality doesn't quite match the RX100 but whose 30x lens brings in stuff the RX100 won't sniff at.

if you get a toughened camera it'll take being dropped and doused but the sensor will be small, the zoom range will be small and the image quality no more than OK.if you get a big-zoom compact it will not take to water or rough handling happily but the image quality *might* be better.

I missed a lot of shots by having an ordinary compact in a plastic bag that was a lot of faff; and I missed a lot of shots by not having it in a plastic bag - 3 days' worth while it dried out.

Nowadays I carry a somewhat elderly Panasonic FT3. It fits into the first category above.

Moral: if you can afford the expense and the weight, get two cameras, a toughened one such as that Olympus and a "good" one. Keep the good one in its own bag in a pannier and the waterproof one handy in an HB bag or pocket. I have an original Sony RX100 which is excellent, but I rather covet my wife's Sony HX90v, whose image quality doesn't quite match the RX100 but whose 30x lens brings in stuff the RX100 won't sniff at.

Is the correct answer, I think.

On the desk in front of me is an FT1. It is battered and scarred beyond belief, having taken more abuse than is entirely healthy, particularly on my fishing trips. It still takes a decent picture and will continue to do so whilst it still lives!

Another camera to consider is the soon-to-be-released Panasonic DMC TZ-100, which is very similar in spec to the Sony RX 100 Mk 4, but with a 10 X optical zoom, it has the same size sensor and 4K video etc. And narginally cheaper.

Don't you guys just yearn for a period of stasis! Imagine how different it was back when you bought your 35mm rangefinder and then kept it for years - decades, even. You got to know the camera intimately - the plating could be worn away...

All cameras are a compromise, and we'll all choose those compromises that fit in with what we want. For me, M4/3 is about right, doesn't loose too much image quality over a SLR, reasonable enough weight to carry all day with a pancake lens, and a decent zoom doesn't take up much space in a bar bag. I have a Panasonic GX1 with 20mm and 45-175mm lenses and an add on viewfinder. In the 4 years I've had it, it's never failed to impress me and I doubt I'll ever get close to it's capabilities. The current model is the GX7, with built in viewfinder, it’s been around a few years and can be had for half it’s original price.

simonineaston wrote:Don't you guys just yearn for a period of stasis! Imagine how different it was back when you bought your 35mm rangefinder and then kept it for years - decades, even. You got to know the camera intimately - the plating could be worn away...

I had my previous Olympus Bridge Camera for about 12 years before I bought the tiny LF1. The LF1 produced pictures so good in comparison it awakened my interest in Photography as a hobby. I took it to Oz/NZ last year and a fellow tourist had a really good SLR so when I came back I bought one. A good camera that gives excellent results is a spur to your creative instincts. Off abroad soon and the LF1 will be tucked away on my belt all the time with a credit card and spare battery in the case when in busy town centres where camera snatchers are likely. The SLR will come out in safer situations off the beaten track.

Al

Touring on a bicycle is a great way to explore and appreciate the countryside and towns you pass through. CTC gone but not forgotten!